Joystick assemblies conventionally comprise a box-like housing and a control lever (or "joystick") extending through the top of the housing. Switches (typically microswitches) or contacts within the housing are electrically connected with an input to, for example, a video game, and are arranged to be actuated by the joystick in response to manual manipulation thereof, so that horizontal and/or vertical movement of an image on a VDU display screen can be thereby controlled.
The joystick shaft has a neutral position which is generally perpendicular to the plane of the switches or contacts and is movable about the x-y axes to control the position of a discrete image element on a display screen. The control is effected by pivotal movement of the joystick away from the neutral position to a selected position in which any one of the switches or contacts, or any adjacent pair thereof, is contacted by the shaft. The use of four mutually perpendicular switches can provide eight distinct switching positions.
Known joystick assemblies of this type have the joystick shaft pivotable about the point at which it passes through the top of the housing, with the lower end of the shaft making contact with the contacts or the switches in the appropriate switching positions. This inevitably means that the distance of travel of the free end of the shaft is greater than the distance of travel at an intermediate position such as around the pivot zone. The arrangements for ensuring pivoting of the shaft are generally complicated in construction.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a joystick assembly in which the switch actuating portion of the shaft has a minimal distance of travel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a joystick assembly with a very rapid response time.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a joystick assembly of simple construction, with a minimum of moving mechanical parts.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a joystick assembly with a housing of ergonomic design which can fit comfortably in the palm of a user's hand.